SkillsUSA helps skill seekers
By Dave Worden
Outside of skilled service technicians, what else does an outdoor power equipment dealership need to succeed? When you stop and think about your business, you not only need top-notch service technicians, but you also need many other skilled people in all aspects of your dealership and all of them need to possess special skills.
Contestants get ready to compete at Nationals in Power Equipment.
A contestant troubleshoots a lawn mower.
A contestant works on an electric starter.All dealerships need to be well versed in other areas to be successful. If your dealership has a website, you need a skilled person to operate the site and keep it updated. If you advertise, you need someone with graphic design skills to create advertisements. If your entire business is dependent upon computer software and hardware to function properly, do you outsource Information Technology (IT) support, try to handle it yourself, or designate IT responsibilities to an employee? What if you are a community-minded business person? Have you looked at internships to help you in seasonal situations? Are you interested in improving your business? What does all of this have to do with your dealership?
By way of introduction, SkillsUSA is an Internal Revenue Service-designated 501(c) (3) national student and teacher professional association that works directly with business and industry to promote American productivity, quality and competitiveness. There are more than 14,500 SkillsUSA chapters at 4,100 public high schools, trade and technical centers, and two-year colleges. SkillsUSA serves more than 320,000 students and educators in training programs in the trade, technical and skilled service occupations, including allied health careers.
SkillsUSA brings together educators, administrators, corporate America, labor organizations, trade associations and government in a coordinated effort to address America’s need for a globally competitive, educated and skilled work force.
More than 1,100 corporations, labor unions and trade associations support SkillsUSA programs at the national level. SkillsUSA prepares students for employment by introducing them to corporate-quality culture and by teaching them the importance of developing leadership skills, positive attitudes and pride in workmanship in addition to technical skills. SkillsUSA is one of the leaders of the School-to-Work initiatives growing throughout the nation.
This is a great opportunity to find young skilled technical and qualified people to help you and your business grow. I have had the pleasure of watching and working with this organization, and encourage you to contact your local vocational, trade school and or technical colleges and ask about their SkillsUSA chapters, or go to www.skillsusa.org and see if you can find the necessary skilled people to help your dealership.
Last year, the National Leadership and Skills Conference (NLSC), which is held annually during the last week of June in Kansas City, Mo., brought together more than 5,400 state winners seeking national titles in 96 leadership and hands-on occupational skills contests on more than 500,000 square feet of exhibit hall floor space. This year, the 48th annual NLSC will take place Saturday, June 23, through Wednesday, June 27, in Kansas City, with approximately 5,800 participants expected to compete in 94 contests. This event has evolved into becoming the nation’s foremost summit on skilled work force development. In addition to supporting our mission, many SkillsUSA partners seeking to advance brand awareness or improve technician recruitment opportunities gain access to a valued marketplace of students and teachers through their partnerships. So, if you are looking for talented and skilled employees, consider your local SkillsUSA chapters and help your business grow.
Dave Worden is program director for SkillsUSA, a member of the Equipment & Engine Training Council’s board of directors and a contributing writer for OPE magazine. He also possesses 40 years of extensive experience in the outdoor power equipment industry at the dealer, distributor and manufacturer levels.
